Toronto, ON – June 14, 2025
Toronto’s Pride Month celebrations are in full swing, but behind the rainbow flags and glittering parades lies a deeper reality — a $900,000 funding shortfall that’s forcing organizers and community leaders to re-evaluate the future of Canada’s largest Pride event.
Pride Toronto, the non-profit behind the city’s iconic Pride parade and related festivities, confirmed this week that multiple corporate sponsors have pulled their support for the 2025 event. Companies including Google, Nissan, Clorox, and The Home Depot opted out of financial contributions this year, citing internal policy changes or shifts in charitable priorities.
Executive Director Kojo Modeste said the organization’s funding gap stems from a larger cultural backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, particularly in the United States. “We’re seeing the ripple effects in Canada,” Modeste explained, “and it’s threatening the very foundation of what Pride is meant to represent.”
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🌈 More Than a Parade – A Movement
Despite the financial strain, organizers have assured the public that the 2025 Pride Parade — scheduled for June 29 — will proceed as planned. But questions loom over what the 2026 celebration might look like if funding continues to erode.
Drag king Krēme Inakuchi, a Toronto native who has performed at Pride festivals globally, says Toronto’s version stands apart. “There’s so many different people that come from all over the world to Toronto Pride because it feels like everyone is welcome,” he said.
He added that the funding crisis exposes a painful truth: “These companies pulling out shows they were never really with us to begin with.”
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💥 Corporate Cuts, Community Strength
While large corporations retreat, grassroots efforts are stepping in. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, a queer-focused arts venue, continues to receive strong support from government and community donors. Artistic Director ted witzel said, “We’ve come from the grassroots and we know how to go back to the grassroots. I will not go anywhere, and we will not go anywhere.”
Other organizers see this moment as a turning point — not just financially, but culturally. “It’s a wake-up call,” said George Pratt, Chairperson of the Church-Wellesley Village BIA. “We’ve built something huge, but if we have to scale back to survive, so be it. Pride started small — we know how to rebuild.”
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🏳️🌈 Pride Lives On — With or Without Corporate Logos
Toronto’s LGBTQ+ community remains firm in its commitment to celebration, solidarity, and protest. Village Fest, an independently organized Pride event hosted by the Church-Wellesley Village, is scheduled for the weekend prior to the main parade, and other community groups are stepping up to ensure the energy doesn’t fade.
As rainbow flags wave above Yonge Street and thousands prepare to march through the heart of the city, one message rings louder than ever: Pride is about people — not profit.